Customer Question: “What is a merchant card data breach? Is it safe to use my debit card?”

A merchant data breach is when an unauthorized party accesses a merchant computer network and steals cardholder data. In these types of breaches, the impacted cardholders are those who used their cards at the breached merchant. They typically impact cardholders at multiple banks.

Unfortunately, merchant data breaches are becoming more common with 974 publicly disclosed data breaches in the first half of 2016 alone, according to the Breach Level Index*.

Arvest, along with other banks in the region, is seeing some fraudulent transactions on less than one-half of one percent of our debit cards as a result of a merchant data breach at one or more merchants. This is NOT an Arvest security breach and includes cards from other banks.

As a reminder, you should also regularly monitor your accounts for any unauthorized transactions or suspicious activity and report it immediately. If you see suspicious activity on your Arvest account, please contact Customer Service at (866) 952-9523 or visit your local branch.

It is important for U.S. Visa consumer debit and credit cardholders to know they are protected against fraudulent purchases with Visa’s Zero Liability Policy*.

Customer Question: “Can a cashier at a business see my account balance when I pay with my Arvest Debit Card?”

No. Cashiers at stores, restaurants or other merchants cannot see your account balance when paying with your Arvest Debit Card. The message the cashier receives when running a transaction is whether your purchase is approved or denied for payment.

Here is what happens when you pay with an Arvest Debit Card.

You or the cashier swipes or inserts your card into the terminal.

The terminal sends the amount of your purchase to the merchant's card processor.

The merchant's card processor sends the amount of your purchase to Arvest Bank.

Arvest looks at your account to determine whether you have available funds to cover the purchase. If you do, then Arvest sends the cashier an approved message. Otherwise, the bank sends a denial. No account balance information is ever passed to the cashier on point of sale transactions.

Thank you for this question!

If you have a question you would like answered, please submit it using the Ask Us Anything tool on the right side of the blog page.

We want to assure you that your feedback has been heard, and we are working to make improvements to Online Banking with BlueIQ™. Enhancements and fixes will be rolling out over the next several months. Many changes will take some time to implement, so watch for further updates in coming months. In the meantime we’ve released some of these enhancements today.

Categorization – Automatic transaction categorization for new transactions has been improved, resulting in more accurate descriptions applied to new transactions. We still offer the ability to customize your transaction categories. Please note, today’s improvements to automatic transaction categorization will not change your customized transaction categories or previously categorized transactions.

Naming Transactions – In addition to customizing transaction categories, you can also choose to customize the name of a transaction. We have made some enhancements to better match renaming rules you have created.

Transaction Descriptions – Additional details will be provided in the transaction description. Today’s improvements to transaction descriptions will only apply to transactions going forward.

Account Links – Account names on the dashboard are now underlined as a reminder they are clickable links. Clicking on these links takes you to that account’s detailed transactions, which includes your running balance.

Goal Setting – When you’re setting goals on the planning tab, you can now indicate the rate of return in a fraction of a percent (e.g., 0.25 percent) and not just a whole number. This should help you more accurately match interest rates for an Arvest account you have assigned to a goal.

Alerts can now be filtered by payment alerts, in addition to the other filter options.

Other bugs have been fixed.

Many more enhancements you have suggested are scheduled for future releases. Please continue to watch for communication on the blog and within Online Banking with BlueIQ™ as additional changes and updates are implemented.

Have you had a chance to explore our new website yet? If so, you may have some questions, and you’re in luck because we’ve got answers! If you haven’t had a chance to delve into the new website, then check it out now before it goes live for all customers in early October!

Why upgrade the website? We are improving arvest.com to make it easier for you to use and navigate. The new and improved website features a new design viewable on both desktop and tablets. On a tablet the new arvest.com now automatically adjusts to the size of the tablet’s screen.

Where’s the Log In button on the new website? I am used to it being in the upper left-hand corner on every page. On the new arvest.com, you can find the Log In button in the upper right-hand corner of every page. When you’re on the home page, the Log In button is also on the left-hand side of the page. We know the new design may take some getting used to – we hope you find it easier to navigate in the long run.

Will this impact Arvest Online Banking, BillPay or Mobile Banking? No, the new look and improvements to arvest.com will not impact your Arvest Online Banking, BillPay or Mobile Banking. All of these services will work as they always have.

Where’s the home button on the new website? If you click the Arvest logo at the top of each page, it will take you to the home page of the new website. We hope you find this feature quicker and easier to navigate in the long run.

What makes the new Arvest website better than the current one? Some features that make the new arvest.com better are:

There’s a new ATM & Branch Locator with an interactive map, including photos of the branches you are trying to find.

There’s an education center to help you learn to better manage your day-to-day finances or help you with important buying decisions.

The navigation is cleaner and simpler, making it easier for you to find what you are looking for on the new Arvest website.

If you have questions about the new site, please call us at (866) 952-9523.

Streamlined login – Login ID and password fields will be on the opening screen for a faster login process. The image and secret phrase will no longer be utilized.

Operating SystemThe Android app requires operating system version 2.2 or higher. The Apple app requires iOS 5 or iOS 6 for iPhone®, iPad or iPod Touch®. Users with an iOS under 5.0 will need to upgrade the device iOS or use mobile web.

The Arvest app is not yet compatible with iOS 7 beta and users will receive, "Request not completed due to the following: This device is currently registered to another user," when attempting to login. We expect compatibility with this operating system once Apple makes iOS 7 available to all its potential users. Until then customers will need to use the mobile web or downgrade their iOS back to 6 until our app compatibility is complete.

If you have any questions, then please call (866) 952-9523 for personal assistance.

Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution.

Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.